Prasar Bharati

ARTICLES ABOUT PRASAR BHARATI BY DATE - PAGE 4

BONN: In a move to expand its footprint , public broadcaster 'Prasar Bharati' is contemplating entering into the European market to present the Indian voices to international audiences . "Our international forays have been made by private journalism to a small extent. It is time for the public broadcaster to start thinking of collaboration with best in the market and come out to present the voice of India or the voices of India. In fact that is the reason why I am here," Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar told PTI here.

Bonn: Prasar Bharati favours more financial and administrative autonomy for the pubic broadcaster which is "neither anti-, nor pro-government". "Yes, of course," Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar told PTI when asked whether he wanted more freedom to work. "Government knows about it. Government is very aware. Whatever I have said it is there in public discourse. I will not like to rake it up here. That is not the place . My stand or our stand on autonomy, professional autonomy, the autonomy to operate, has been made clear," he said.

NEW DELHI: Doordarshan could soon launch a channel devoted exclusively to farmers and agriculture with Prasar Bharati actively considering such a proposal. It is learnt that consultations are already underway for the launch of a 24-hour agriculture-based channel which could leverage the expertise Doordarshan has in creating programmes for farmers and rural audiences and telecast them to a wider audience. While different Doordarshan channels regularly beam programmes meant for farmers, there is a view that the public broadcaster would be able to create more awareness and educate farmers if there is a channel specially dedicated to agriculture.

NEW DELHI: The positions of chairperson and some other key members of Prasar Bharati's board that have been lying vacant for sometime now are yet to be filled up. The post of the chairperson of the Prasar Bharati board has been lying vacant since the tenure of Mrinal Pande ended more than a month ago. The positions of Member (Finance) and Member (Personnel) too do not have occupants. While the chairperson heads the Prasar Bharati board, the positions of Member (Finance)

NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar is "philosphically" and "ideologically" in favour of doing away with the ministry as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plank of "less government, more governance. " Javadekar was asked whether India needed an I&B Ministry when many major democracies do not have such a ministry. "I think you are giving a good line for us. But ultimately, when our Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that more governance and less government, so you are actually contributing to the idea of less government and more governance.

NEW DELHI: Modi government believes in freedom of press as it is the essence of democracy and no "external" regulation has worked in media, Information and Broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar today said on his first day in office. "We believe that press freedom is the essence of democracy. And to make democracy a success, we require this press freedom because it gives people the choice in a rainbow of differing opinions," the Minister said. He recalled restrictions imposed on media during the Emergency and said that he was among those who had opposed it. "There is no external regulation which works in media.

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission (EC) has told the Information and Broadcasting ministry to put on hold the selection of a new chairperson of public broadcaster Prasar Bharati till the poll process was over. Ministry had written to the EC seeking its views on the issue of finding a new chairperson after the tenure of previous incumbent Mrinal Pande got over last month, sources said. "The ministry had sought the EC's opinion about the process of appointing the new chairperson.

NEW DELHI: Throwing the ball back into Prasar Bharati's court, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry today asked the public broadcaster to seek the views of its board on whether a probe is needed into the controversial editing of Narendra Modi's interview by Doordarshan. Sources said that the ministry today sent a reply to Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar's communication in which he had said yesterday that the public broadcaster was ready to institute a probe but would do so only if the ministry assures that it would abide by the findings.

Much of the debate on Doordarshan autonomy goes on as if it is a crime for the government to have a broadcast outlet that faithfully reflects its views. This kind of thinking in this country where hundreds of private news channels strive for viewer attention and act as more than a check on misuse of the public broadcaster by the government stems from a narrow view of the world. Now, everyone respects the BBC. Does this mean that when BBC reports on west Asia, Afghanistan or the Falklands, Britain's venerable public broadcaster would reflect any worldview apart from the British government's?

NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati is ready to institute a probe into the controversial editing of Narendra Modi's interview by Doordarshan but will do so only if the Information and Broadcasting Ministry assures that it would abide by the findings. Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar today said the I&B Ministry needs to give assurance about abiding by the findings as it has not been done in the past. Prasar Bharati has no control over the senior officials in the News Divisions and ministry has in the past not honoured its earlier recommendations, he told PTI. When contacted, a senior I&B ministry official said the ministry would respond appropriately after it receives and studies any such communication sent by the public broadcaster.